Washington, June 17: Acting swiftly on fresh UN sanctions against Iran, the US has clamped down on two top commanders of its Revolutionary Guard, dozens of Iranian firms and a leading bank for having links with the country’s controversial nuclear programme.
 Announcing the sanctions at the White House, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, said the US has designated for sanctions Iran’s Post Bank for its support of proliferation activities, bringing the number of Iranian-owned banks on US sanctions list to 16.
 The list of entities against whom sanctions have been slapped includes two top commanders of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps that controls the country’s nuclear programme.
 It identified 22 petroleum, energy, and insurance companies, located inside and outside Iran, which are owned or controlled by the Iranian government.
 “In the coming weeks, we will continue to increase the financial pressure on Iran. We will continue to target Iran’s support for terrorist organisations. We will continue to focus on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.“We will continue to expose Iran’s efforts to evade international sanctions,” Geithner said.
 The decision to slap new sanctions against Iran comes after the UN Security Council resolution of June 9, and brings a fourth round of sanctions against the country.
 The UNSC resolution, drafted and sponsored by the US, was supported by all other permanent members - France, Britain, Russia and China. Turkey and Brazil were the only two non-permanent members to have voted against the resolution.
 The US announced adding five front companies and names of more than 90 ships that Iran’s national maritime carrier has been allegedly using to try to evade sanctions. “We are adding two individuals and four entities that are part of IRGC, which plays a key role in Iran’s missile programmes and its support for terrorism,” Geithner said.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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